JERRY CROWE

Text messages from press row ...

Jackie Robinson's plaque in the Hall of Fame makes no mention of his breaking the color barrier in major league baseball, an oversight that will be corrected when a new plaque is unveiled Saturday at Cooperstown, N.Y. . . .

Noting that Robinson's induction in 1962 was "based on performance alone," President Jeff Idelson of the National Hall of Fame and Museum says, "Now, 46 years later . . . the time is right to recognize his contribution to history, not only as a Hall of Fame player, but also as a civil rights pioneer." . . .

Wording on the plaque should resonate more powerfully than lines there now such as, "Joint record holder for most double plays by a second baseman." . . .

Roger Clemens, who allegedly started a 10-year affair with Mindy McCready when the country singer was only 15 and the All-Star pitcher 28, is winner of the "Cy Really Young award," Jay Leno reports. . . .

Demetrius Bell of Northwestern State, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive tackle taken by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the NFL draft, is a son of former Lakers and Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone. . . .

His mother, Gloria Bell, reportedly was only 13 and the Mailman a sophomore at Louisiana Tech when Gloria delivered Demetrius. . . .

Father and son, one of four Division I athletes to play football and basketball last season, did not meet until Demetrius was 18, the Buffalo News reports. . . .

Magic Johnson never played in Staples Center, Wayne Gretzky never played there and Oscar De La Hoya, who will be honored with a statue outside the arena near similar tributes to Johnson and Gretzky, fought there once. . . .

Congratulations to Troy Aikman, voted into the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, but here's guessing the former UCLA quarterback would trade the honor for a victory over USC and a trip to the Rose Bowl during his two seasons in Westwood. . . .

Tony Parker and sixth man extraordinaire Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs rank among the world's most dynamic players, so why aren't fans more excited about the defending NBA champions? . . .

Efficiency's not always boring. . . .

Luke Walton seems to have torn a page from Robert Horry's book, sleepwalking through the regular season before looming large in the playoffs. . . .

Speaking of Horry, the former Lakers forward averaged career lows in points, rebounds and minutes played this season but made a key steal late in the Spurs' series-clinching Game 5 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, staying on track for his eighth championship ring. . . .

Shaquille O'Neal did not make his free throws when they counted. . . .

Josh Howard is nothing if not blunt in addressing his marijuana use, but right before a playoff game probably wasn't the best time for the cold-shooting Dallas Mavericks forward to bring it up again. . . .

In putting together its ad featuring Kevin Garnett -- Be History or Make History -- Gatorade probably didn't expect the message to apply in the first round. . . .

In a Sports Illustrated poll of 495 major league players, Angels center fielder Torii Hunter was named the best defensive player in the majors, carrying 16% of the vote to finish ahead of shortstop Omar Vizquel of the San Francisco Giants. . . .

Dodgers center fielder Andruw Jones finished fourth. . . .

Bart Simpson of "The Simpsons," disappointed to learn that a bull he'd fostered had been fed growth hormones: "I don't care how much of a freak you are, I still love you -- the way Barry Bonds' kids probably still love him." . . .

Noting Wednesday that the Arizona Diamondbacks were 20-8 in April, former major league manager and Fox analyst Kevin Kennedy said, "You multiply that by a six-month season, you do that every month, you got 100 wins." . . .